Zero-sum Game
by Kanariya 9
Summary: What happens when a charming ex-conman meets an alluring pirate huntress? Well, better ask them. Things will definitely go down that's for sure. Perhaps it was Twisted Fate's luck. Perhaps it was Miss Fortune's destiny. But either way, a meeting of Fate and Fortune. It was meant to be. (Side fic whilst working on main)
1. Chapter 1

_**Zero-Sum Game:**_

A game in which the sum of the winnings by all the players is zero. In a zero-sum game, a gain by one player must be matched by a loss by another player. Poker is a zero-sum game if the house does not take a cut as a charge for playing.

* * *

"Deal."

Hushed murmuring, the clink of coins, quick gleeful smiles hidden in the crowd as jackets brushed against coats and bodies shifted around them. Distant sounds of the market, a couple of streets down, away from this secluded alleyway of dark bluestones and cigar smoke. Occasional small shifts in winds bought a faint concoction of ripe fruits and fresh vegetables mixed with damp dirt and hot foods wafting through the alleyway.

The dealer smirked at the new contestant, a cigar dangling from his mouth as he accepted his hefty bet. No exchange of words, just the stacking of cards in his cigarette stained fingers, the other grubby hand clutching a wad of notes – spoils from the previous sucker. Paper sliding across paper as cards were placed onto a small wooden crate, a makeshift table of sorts. Three cards, face down, the middle deftly flipped and revealed to be the queen of hearts before just as quickly turned over and the shuffling began. Moved left then right then over and rearranged more, sliding the last card in line as he stopped shuffling.

"Where's the Lady?"

Too easy.

Twisted Fate smirked, his grin hidden by the brim of his hat as he tilted his head, pointing to the middle card.

The dealer flipped it over, showing the queen of hearts. There was surprised and awed chattering around him. Guess the previous string of fools had all been parted from their gold.

"Ya got good luck there." he hid his mild dissatisfaction behind a wide grin, collecting the cards and shuffling them once again.

The pattering sound of cards being shuffled and cut and stacked, such a familiar and nostalgic noise – almost music to his ears. It'd been a while since he'd indulged in this and whilst - now that he was a champion - it was forbidden, he figured just a little for old times sake.

He had planned to head to the bar by the city outskirts after his daily summoning, maybe bump into a few champions there - females preferably of course - and exchange some conversation and pleasantries. Probably also knock off a few bottles of Sunshine Whiskey and call it a night after say three or four am. Taking a shortcut through this alleyway and seeing such a familiar scene though – a group of onlookers around a shifty stand, it just brought back that old itch again. Those stiff summoners probably wouldn't find out about this and it was just too hard to resist.

Surely it wouldn't be such a bad thing - to con a conman, would it?

"Again eh? See if you can find the lucky lady this time." He lined the cards up again after rearranging them.

Reasonably new set of cards to match the reasonably new-to-conning conman but poorly taken care of and very weathered, looking very much like an old deck, the edges worn and surface grubby from use. Such carelessness, cards should never be maintained so deplorably. You need to work with the cards, keep them clean cut and neat; cards that are well taken care of will listen to you better.

His attention brought back to the neatly aligned trio of cards again, Twisted Fate smiled to himself.

Interesting. Not bad skill for a common street scammer, that had been quite a practiced and swift change of cards, just before dealing down the cards. Guess he'd been practicing that move a lot. Of course most people wouldn't have noticed it. Then again, most people weren't Twisted Fate. A classic but relatively fail proof mechanism nevertheless; choosing between placing down the top card or the bottom card at the start of the game. He shows you the card, you think you're following the queen, but you end up following the lowly jack. Simple and sweet. Just like how he preferred his women. Twisted Fated chuckled quietly to himself at that.

"Right one."

A flash of anger passed across his face as he hesitated before flipping up the card, revealing the queen of hearts again. The people crowded around him murmured, surprised at him finding the queen again but there were also some edgy whisperings flittering about.

The dealer grit his teeth but again, plastered on a pleased face of congratulatory cheerfulness.

"Ya sure one lucky guy, what say another one? Make it more fun, up the stakes yea?" he dealt them down and began rearranging before Twisted Fate even had a chance to reply.

Truly a greedy one here, a bad trait in this line of work. Not that Twisted Fate would declined another round now, far from it.

"A little harder this time, lucky guy" he was rearranging them faster "and double the stakes eh?" the dealer glanced up at him.

"Make it triple." He tossed a large bag of gold on the table. "And all your winnings too."

The dealer paused for a second, considering his wager, before grinned widely and reaching to chuck his own bag of gold on the table.

"You're in."

Greed, one of the main and oldest downfalls of mankind, especially here. There is a fine line between luck and avarice. He knew all too well how temperamental Lady Luck could be, she'd stack the odds all in your favour only to leave you hung up and dry. Sometimes if it looks too good, you just have to get out.

Yet here he was betting a hefty sum knowing full well that greed was always the downfall for anyone in these games. Of course, there were exceptions to that – Lady Luck was _always_ on Twisted Fate's side. Well most of the time. Granted betting his whole week's salary on a simple street game was perhaps a little overkill but hey, he didn't have anything to lose. Or to be correct, _couldn't _have anything to lose.

Twisted Fate eyed the dealer, noting his rather scruffy shirt and tan jacket with a dark smudge on the side. This guy had probably been doing this for maybe a year or less - hardly much of an old hand and even less of a challenge, what with the few tricks he would probably know and the large group of shills aiding him.

Oh yes, these were hardly interested passer-bys – out of all of them only two were genuine onlookers. The rest were all his accomplices; there to tip off if authorities came, assist in seducing a passer-by to play or just to help with the conning itself. No casual observer would've been able to tell who were the shills and who were actual onlookers but Twisted Fate could recognise them all too well – heck he used to be one himself. There were always signs, little tell-tale signs. Sometimes it was an over interest in the game, sometimes it was being too enthusiastic or optimistic and sometimes it all came down to a single glance.

Round and round the cards went, only three but the speed sure made it look like there were more – almost hypnotising in itself. As they slowed down to a halt, the dealer slid the last card in place before placing his hands either side of the cards.

"Which one?" he gestured in a small sweeping motion across the cards.

Twisted Fate paused as if pondering which card to choose; scratching his chin and musing before deciding to place a finger on the middle one. Oh he knew where the queen was all right.

Too bad the she was under none of them.

He had seen him change her out on the fifth shift over from the middle, no doubt for another jack or some other card. A nifty little move and to an average observer nothing would've changed at all but these things don't escape Twisted Fate's eyes - they _never_ do. Surprising for him to have that trick up his sleeve, it was a hard move to pull of well and one that takes much practice. He had removed the queen with a neat flick of his wrist, placing another card in its place in the same instant - one that looked almost exactly like the removed queen, even down to the imperceptible bent corner. Then again, most of the cards looked the same from the back anyways, only those who understood the cards would be able to hear what they really said.

A smirk flashed across the dealer's face before he quickly composed his face again, trying to maintain a neutral composure. Twisted Fate could almost feel the glee and greed seething out of him, such a foul mixture.

"Ya sure buddy? No changing your mind now."

Twisted Fate nodded.

The deal smugly reached over to flip up the card but Twisted Fate kept his finger on it. He looked at him slightly confused.

It was Twisted Fate's turn to grin now. Fool.

"Well…" He reached his other hand to the two cards either side.

"Since this isn't the queen..." he flipped up one - a jack

"...and this one isn't either..." he flipped the other card - another jack

"...then this one must be the queen." he tapped the middle card.

"So." He reached out to grab both bags of gold.

"I'll be taking this thank you."

"Hey!" The dealer slammed the table, getting up. The crowd of people around him tightened a little.

"That's not fair!" He reached out to snatch his loot back but grappled at thin air as Twisted Fate evaded his outstretched arm, retaliating by grabbing his hand by the wrist and standing up.

"Neither is this." As he pulled a card from the top of the sleeve, holding it up to him between his fingers. The Queen.

"So if you will…" red wisps started smouldering from the card. "I'll be taking my leave."

Out cheated at his own game. Poor fool.

Twisted Fate flung out the card, the red queen impacting into the dealer's chest at point blank range, knocking the breath out of him as he stumbled a step back. Quick as a flash, he ducked as someone leapt at him from the side, trading spots with them to stand outside the mob, jacket flaring out behind him as he turned to run.

"Get him!" yelled the dealer, standing up again rather clumsily and knocking over the crate, cards scattering everywhere.

Humph so that was why he needed so many accomplices.

With a flick of his hand, Twisted Fate drew out the cards from across the ground, swirling them around him in a ready circle. He flung a few out towards the nearest ones lunging at him, knocking them back and stunning them as wisps of yellow drifted off from the cards. But more were coming behind and as he turned a corner he was faced with a dead end, the mob hot on his heels. Guess there really wasn't any choice now, he didn't want have to resort to this.

There was the familiar shift in the air as his surroundings disappeared, swirling in a blur as the colours blended and reformed. Gating was a rather last-resort option for him at all times. Not only was it hard to control in the first place, it was always very taxing on his body although he was starting to build up practice for it in the League. He hadn't had a chance to decide where exactly to gate to though – escaping a mob of shills trying to tackle him down was just a slightly distracting thing. Hopefully he didn't end up in the Shurima Dessert or the Howling Marsh or the Shadow Isles. Or - god forbid - Fiora's bathroom. That had been a right nightmare last time.

His feet landed on solid ground and a little relief swept through him – at least he was on dry land.

His relief was very short lived.

As soon as the surroundings solidified, something barrelled into him like a ton of bricks, almost knocking him over and making him wonder for a second if it would've been better to face the bunch of angry thugs instead of being run over by a bulldozer. Spinning around trying to regain balance, Twisted Fate barely registered what had crashed into him - a brute of a man with thick muscle-clad arms and a square jaw stumbling and bolting off around the corner - before an acute, heavy pain pierced through his shoulder as another, different sort of blow knocked into him. His hat tumbled off, flipping in the air as he fell over from the momentum of the shot.

The last thing he remembered was a painful wet warmth spreading through the pain in his shoulder, the clacking of approaching heels and crimson red hair.

Twisted Fate's head hit the concrete pavement with a loud, resounding crack.

* * *

_Another side fic while I try to find inspiration for my main fic atm (Caitlyn x Thresh). Seem to have a bad habit of starting something without being able to finish it. Do tell me if you would like to see more of this, feedback is much appreciated._

References to gethTECH's "Sunshine Whiskey", Kievan09's "Fish in a Barrel" and Vincent Roechester's "Cold Stare x Hot Glare" ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Something smelled salty. Like… brine. Fish and seaweed, musty, wooden and faintly grog soaked.

Twisted Fate stirred a little, unfamiliar coarse fabric scratching at the back of his neck as he turned his head a little.

Bad move.

A rush of nauseating pain surged through his right temple and pulsed in his head like eight Monday morning hangovers steamrolling through his brain. He grit his teeth against the waves of nausea, squeezing his eyes shut and groaning loudly.

"Morning sunshine."

A cloying voice called from across the room as the clicking of heels approached his side. Each 'tak' resounded and echoed loudly like gunshots through his head. There was a shuffling sound above him followed by an abrupt swish of the blinds opening, bright sunlight pouring in and blinding the back of his retinas just as he had fathomed it safe enough to open his eyes a little. He squeezed his eyes shut immediately but the bright rays had already seared tessellating afterimages into his eyes. It most _definitely_ did not help with the intense throbbing in his head.

"Mother of - "

"Rise and shine, sugar. We have work to get to."

Twisted Fate groaned again, mumbling a string of choice profanities before rolling over trying to escape the prying bright sunlight. His company obviously had other ideas as he soon found himself suddenly and unceremoniously tipped off the bed, landing ungracefully and painfully in a heap against the upturned bed. His right shoulder protested in sudden agony as he felt a wet warmth spreading from it.

"Ok ok I get it!"

Squinting and blinking a few times, he adjusted to the light around him before looking down to see his shoulder bandaged up, a little red seeping through the white linen now. Frowning and massaging the bridge of his nose, Twisted Fate tried to figure out things and remember how he'd injured his shoulder.

"Jesus woman, did you have to do that?" he grumbled testily.

An assortment of different rags and material had cluttered onto him from the bed and he reached up to remove them, careful not to move his left arm too much. The pain in his head was sure doing a good job of sapping out the ache from his shoulder but it still felt like his body was sore all over. He remembered being knocked into and falling over which probably explained his massive headache. What knocked him over was… someone running into him yes and…

He gingerly felt his shoulder, gently probing at it, feeling around the wound careful to not press on it as little sparks of pain prickled through his muscles.

A small pierced wound… a stab? Righting himself, Twisted Fate gingerly massaged his injured shoulder before finally turning to look up at his attender leaning over him.

He was greeted with a rather pleasant view of a voluptuous chest which was a lovely distraction before her voice drew his attention back to her face. Pale rosy skin, red luscious lips and locks of tumbling crimson hair but eyes as blue and cold as ice.

"Feeling better sugar?" Miss Fortune asked him mockingly in response to his eyeing of her chest. He grinned shamelessly.

"No not yet, mind if I enjoy the view a little more?" he replied. She glared at him as she stood up.

Miss Fortune huh. Most probably was a shot then. Seems like unplanned Destinies always landed him with another troublesome woman.

He really should work on having a fixed spot to Gate to when in a hurry; at this rate he'll probably meet every female champion and god knows how he'll fair if he ended up landing in someone else's bathroom again. Although his current situation could possibly be worse. At least the more-than-lovely view of Fiora that time had been worth the pain afterwards.

"Get up. You have work to get to." He eyed her retreating backside as she strode across the room to fetch her guns, glad for the savoury distraction as he tried to ignore his still throbbing headache. At least it seemed to be subsiding a little compared to just before - now it only felt like Malphite had unleashed an Unstoppable Force to his head.

"What kind of work?"

He reached up to massage his temples, squeezing his eyes and trying to ease the clutching ache in his head. Jesus he could do with a few aspirins. He sighed, running his hand through his mussed hair before looking around and finally noticing his rather drab surroundings.

A small dingy wooden cabin with a damp draught coming in through the gap under the door and quite sparsely furnished. A few chairs scattered around, a desk, a cabinet and the upturned bed he was against. Not much of a bed really, more like a couple of wood planks nailed to some crates and laid over with empty sacs for a cover. Seems like she owned this place although it most definitely didn't look like it was her home – it felt too neglected and cold to be.

"Bring me back a certain pirate." She loaded her bullets into the guns and strapped them to holsters either side of her hip. Turning back to him, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Thanks to you sugar, I've just lost three weeks of work and a pricy head."

"Pricey head?" A bounty?

"Andrei Ellington. A brute of a man but a pirate nevertheless despite his appearance. He is a rather sought after one too and not for good reason, he has a hand in almost all forms of illegal trafficking and of course pillaging from city state vessels."

She swiped a piece of paper from the desk, handing it to him. An unflattering mug glared back at him from the page; a front shot of a large man which took Twisted Fate a second to vaguely recognise as the brute that had collided into him when he had appeared. Rather buff, close shaven with a pierced ear and a snake tattoo along his right bicep. An overall gruff appearance, not what one would usual picture when imagining a pirate. And probably not someone he wanted to get involved with if he could avoid it. Fist fights were never his thing.

"That's nice but I'm 'fraid I can't be of help, Lady Fortune." Patting himself down to check that there was nothing else amiss with him, Twisted Fate realized that his wide brim hat was absent.

"I've got things to do, places to go, bets to win. Ladies to entertain." He waved his hand offhandedly in etcetera, not bothering to go on.

Ah - there was his hat, on the coat stand by the door. Gingerly, he tested his balance as he propped himself up, trying to stand.

"And what do you suppose I'll do about that pirate scum that you let run off?" the dissatisfaction in her voice was more than evident as she watched him getting up in mild disdain.

"Well I'm sure you're more than capable of catching him again." He looked up at her and grinned, albeit a little lopsidedly from his still present headache.

"Right, Lady Luck?"

Tentatively, he tried to stand up but he staggered a little as a wave of vertigo hit, forcing him to lean on the upturned bed. It took him a few seconds to regain balance before he aimed for the door.

The corner of her lips twitched up in amusement and a gracious smile flashed across her face.

"More than capable." Just as quickly her smile vanished as she locked her gaze on him, her eyes steely.

"But you'll be fetching him back for me of course." Her voice was just as beguiling as before but it was anything but playful now. There was a hard tone in it, almost threatening and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end – in anticipation.

"Look honey," Twisted Fate turned to face her only to meet her piercing gaze. He tried to ignore the feeling creeping into him – it would only bring more trouble and he'd rather not get any deeper into this conundrum, especially when he was like this.

"What you gotta understand is life's a Zero-sum Game." He could swear his jacket was starting to feel stuffy and hot and it seemed to smell rather musky now that he'd noticed.

"You win some and they lose some. One man's gain is another man's loss." He tried to casually unbutton his jacket, ignoring her deadly gaze set on him, glad to rid himself of that smothering musty smell infused into the soft leather fabric. He was definitely going to have to get it thoroughly steam cleaned when he got back.

"It's like… cake for two - you take more, I have less. So I win some jackpot and you lose a lil' bounty, it's how it goes and all." Although judging by the large hole through his jacket that was the least of its problems as he slung it over his shoulder. He sighed mentally. That was a good quality jacket and it damn well hadn't been easy to acquire.

"And personally I wouldn't have it any other way." Reaching out for his hat, he flipped it up, ready to leave.

"Tough luck hot shot." She caught his hat in mid-air before he could get to it, twirling it on her gun.

"That's not how it works here. You're paying what you owe and that's one large pirate scum a piece." Jesus this woman…

"You _shot_ me and I owe you?" he turned to look at her incredulously as he raised an eyebrow. His brain was telling him to leave but his body seemed to be distracted by other things…

"_I_ didn't shoot you, _I_ shot at the scum running away from me. _You_ just happened to be between Shock and that brute." She rested her hand on the gun nestling in the holster on her right hip.

"Look honey, I don't owe you anything." Twisted Fate reached to grip the doorhandle ready to leave, trying to make his tone final. He had better things to do than stick around in a dungy cabin with a dangerous woman in Bilgewater. There was a busty brunette and a pina colada in a brothel somewhere with his name on it.

"Except for maybe the best night of your life if you're interested." He winked at her as he reached for his hat.

"I'll sleep on that offer." She replied impassively, flashing him a foxy grin before her expression returned back to that of indifference, flicking his hat away from his reaching grasp.

"In the meantime…" she took a step forward, wrapping her arm around his neck and bringing his face inches from hers. The brim of his hat brushed against his hair as it dangled on the gun beside his ear and he caught a glimpse of the word "Awe" inscribed in faded white cursive along the barrel.

"You _will_ help me." She pointed her other gun under his chin, her face deadly and nefarious and making his blood thicken as his pulse sped up.

"Honey…"

He could feel the rim of the barrel pressing into the underside of his jaw and his Adam's apple brushed against the cold steel barrel against his throat as he swallowed. He would deny it in a heartbeat but it made him hard.

There was something about a dangerous woman that seemed to always hook him in for all the wrong reasons. Maybe it was the high stakes and risqué allure that were such an appealing combination. The last one was… Evelynn yes, it was impossible to forget a ravishing beauty like her. But that was a long time ago.

Right here, right now… Not as cruel and malevolent as Evelynn perhaps, yet Miss Fortune was even more deadly with her dangerous appeal. She knew her ways; knew how to 'sway' people. It was obvious she was the one pulling the strings here and he knew it but damn, it didn't make it any less alluring. And worse, she knew it too.

She nudged the gun, tilting his chin up a little.

It wasn't like he didn't know her either, he knew what Miss Fortune was capable of, knew she was a dangerous woman to play with. Yet the risks made her all the more enticing instead – it played right into his gambling heart. Oh she was a deal alright. She could hold her own against anyone and was never one to be forgiving. A body to match her cunning, her wiles had pried many a secret from a man's lips – a deadly combination. Miss Fortune had never been one to confine to morals and standards – not when it came to what she wanted. Fierce and determined, coy and alluring, an enthralling and enrapturing temptress through and through.

She was like crime made flesh and man how that made him want to scam her for all she had.

"Won't you help me?" she purred softly.

Yet here he was, the renowned player being played and yet even though he knew it, even though he could see what she was pulling, see what cards she was playing, it was damn hard to resist.

"I..."

She held his gaze, those clear blue eyes looking straight through him. Blue, crystal blue, like the clear seas she sailed on and drawing him in like a complete sucker. Dammit, he shouldn't be here. He should be taking his leave and hightailing out of here with wind on his heels and a calling card left behind with his number. But hell…

"I don't know…" He reached to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth up gently, stroking her cheek. He was probably going to regret not leaving when he could. What the hell was he doing, stalling? For what?

"I don't think I can help you… honest." He sighed, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Absentmindedly he fingered her hair, feeling the lightness and softness. She watched him as he twirled a strand around his fingers, watching the muted light glean off the silky red strands.

Miss Fortune kept her gaze for a few seconds before smiling faintly, removing the gun under his chin. Reaching up she locked both her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against him. He slid his hand around her waist reflexively as she leaned in, her face only an inch away. Now this was familiar.

She pulled him closer and he slid both arms around her, catching her scent as he leant in. Something sweet like… He drew in a breath. Cinnamon. Her hair smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, like the rolls he used to get on Sunday mornings with the few coins leftover from the week, back when he was still living off the streets.

"Please?" she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes before glancing away biting her lip.

Fuck.

"Honey…" She looked back up again at him, her features soft and pleading. He could feel her naked skin under his fingertips as he slid a hand further up her back, smooth and soft, thrilling at the touch.

It was hard to deny her when she smelled like some of the best mornings of his life and felt so good against him.

Looking at her like this in front of him, immortality flitting between her eyes, lush red lips slightly parted and her body pressed up against him like she wanted him – no, needed him… It was guiltily cathartic to say the least. The heat emanating from her, seeping through his shirt… it set his blood on fire and it made him want ...

"Please?"

Hell, he thought, as he leant in, locks of crimson hair brushing across his cheek and her luscious mouth just millimetres away.

"…Okay…"

He could feel her breath on his lips as her eyes locked onto his. The smile spread on her lips but it didn't reach her eyes as he felt her become rigid and unyielding in his arms.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she replied softly, her voice cool. She tilted her head a little, just barely brushing her lips across his as her nose skimmed across his cheek.

"Men, always the same. Only ever have one thing on their mind, don't they?" she murmured, placing his hat lopsidedly over his head as the brim dipped over his face.

He could feel her words on his lips, each and every one so tantalisingly out of reach. Leaning away, she flicked the brim of his hat with her gun before spinning it and deftly sheathing it in her holster.

He knew he should have left when he could have.

"So easily led by a little… _play_." She stroked a finger down his cheek on the last word.

_And boy did you get played good this time, Fate. Game, set, match._

"H-" He cleared his throat.

"Hardly."

"Really?" She cast a suggestive glance downward before looking at him again, raising an eyebrow.

"Cause that doesn't seem like an objection you're raising there, sugar…" Miss Fortune let her voice trail off as he struggled to form a coherent rebuttal.

Fuck.

She turned to walk towards the door, laughing as Twisted Fate fumed in awkward silence.

"11 am sharp, I'll meet you outside Myron's Murderhole. It's only a short walk from the pier and you'll know it when you see it."

She grabbed her own hat from the stand, turning to look at him, smirking.

"Give you a little time to let things uh…" She flicked her gaze downward again before looking back up. "… _settle down_."

Twisted Fate could only stand there in mute chagrin as she laughed again, her high voice ringing out.

"Don't be late."She opened the door, an edge in her sing-songy voice.

"Or else."

The door closed in his face with a resolute thud as he heard her clacking footsteps walk away. He stood there for a while looking at the door in silence as the thrum in his veins slowly died down. Guess he had to go along with this now. Jesus.

Sighing, he slumped back against the upturned bed, righting his hat as he felt the heat leave his body.

_Well._

_You just got yourself into some real interesting things now Fate._


End file.
